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Wide Open
Chelsea loves a good hustler, but things get complicated when she cheats on her boyfriend with his biggest rival in this shocking novel set in the mean streets of Washington, DC.
Young, sexy, and happy to flaunt it, Chelsea always wins in her pursuit of money—but she also gets herself in deep trouble. When she attracts the interest of her boyfriend’s sworn childhood enemy, Rodney, Chelsea knows she’s playing with fire, but she can’t resist a baller like Rodney. Her double life doesn’t last long, and Chelsea soon realizes the consequences are much worse than she ever realized.
Chelsea’s boyfriend, Zeek, lives a drama-free life. He’s always been a normal, respectful guy, despite living in one of the roughest neighborhoods in DC. But when Chelsea cheats on him, it breaks his heart and changes him for the worst. He decides that hustling is the only way to get respect, so he sets out into the tumultuous streets to get money by any means he can. Zeek’s quest becomes fueled by power, greed, and ultimately the love of a woman.
Can Chelsea recapture Zeek’s broken heart before he fully enters a world where few survive? Or will she remain so self-absorbed in her pursuit of money that she ends up destroying herself in the process?
Young, sexy, and happy to flaunt it, Chelsea always wins in her pursuit of money—but she also gets herself in deep trouble. When she attracts the interest of her boyfriend’s sworn childhood enemy, Rodney, Chelsea knows she’s playing with fire, but she can’t resist a baller like Rodney. Her double life doesn’t last long, and Chelsea soon realizes the consequences are much worse than she ever realized.
Chelsea’s boyfriend, Zeek, lives a drama-free life. He’s always been a normal, respectful guy, despite living in one of the roughest neighborhoods in DC. But when Chelsea cheats on him, it breaks his heart and changes him for the worst. He decides that hustling is the only way to get respect, so he sets out into the tumultuous streets to get money by any means he can. Zeek’s quest becomes fueled by power, greed, and ultimately the love of a woman.
Can Chelsea recapture Zeek’s broken heart before he fully enters a world where few survive? Or will she remain so self-absorbed in her pursuit of money that she ends up destroying herself in the process?
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
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39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 8, 2017
I usually stay away from books like this because I hate serial cheaters but this book was great. The only problem I have is the slang that's used in the book I'm from Cali so I dont know what the hell is a "Bama" lol I hated Chelsea and her crew with a passion. This book was extraordinary I refuse to go out until I finished this book. S.K. Collins character in this book where so spot on I thought I knew them because their actions were so believable because I know people in real life who don't care about shit but money. The book is called "Wide Open" because the second main character Zeek is so in love with his girlfriend Chelsea "aka THE QUEEN OF THE PACT WHEN IT COMES TO GOLD DIGGING" he lost his job and instead of supporting her man like a real girlfriend should she's quick to bring up his misfortunes and if she does something nice for him - she throws it in his face later. She disrespects him in front of his face not only by making him feel like crap but talking about his weak sex game and being a serial cheater. Lorenzo Zeek's best friend tries to tell him his girlfriend isn't shit but he refuses to believe that he rather believe his girl is all his and his only (hence the name Wide Open). So when he catches Chelsea having sex with his childhood bully he turns into a hard core dope dealer to by flashy rides, jewelry, and clothes in the being of his transaction he wanted to impress Chelsea and maybe get her back but he begins to love the drug trade & the countless of women throwing themselves at him trying to be his number one. Soon after making alot of money he turns into a male version of Chelsea by sleeping with countless type of women and dogging them out including Chelsea. I am a fan of this book even though the charcater in this book are so low down. This book was so fast paced for me I could not put it down. At the ending of the book they have some discussion questions so I'm deciding to answer them.
1). I do not think Chelsea had a valid reason to hate Zeek and treat him the way she did - she has to realize not every person is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. If she did not like being with him she should've just broke up with him instead of staying with him so he can endure her disrespect and emotional abuse. 2).I don't think Quanda (Chelsea's friend she considered to be a sister) was wrong for choosing to date Zeek after he and Chelsea broke up. Mind you Chelsea never loved Zeek anyway (until he got money he was just a pet to her for 14 years :( ) she shouldve just told Chelsea instead of hiding it. 3).I think Zeek didn't want Quanda and Shawana they way he wanted Dora - is because they where too easy and Dora seemed different from the rest even though she had her own secretive motive for wanting to date Zeek. 4)I think Dora didnt ask Zeek for the money because she was in too deep with her sister's gang to try and turn back. I would like to believe if she had met Zeek before her mother's heart weakened she would've asked him for the money instead of killing him :( 5)I skipped this question it's pointless to me.... 6)Nope ! because I think Rodney wouldve killed Zeek first if he had the opportunity mind you we live in a dog eat dog world Zeek had to be the vulture or be the prey and he chose to be the vulture. 7)My favorite character would have to be Lorenzo because out of all the characters in the book he chose to go a different route down life by working hard and having faith his hard work would eventually pay off :) he seemed to be the only person that had his head on straight and knew there was more to life than being a damn dope boy. 8)I really disliked Chelsea and her crew Chelsea was superficial and stepped on anybody's back to get what she wanted. I dont even think she cared about herself being she slept with the highest bidder. 9)My favorite part in the story would have to be Shawna leaving rehab and helping Zeek improve his sex game. 10)that's hard to say I think Quanda and Shawana loved him the most mainly Quanda because when he did cheat on her she was devastated ! and also after they became serious she stopped sleeping with other men to better their relationship. 12)I think Poundcake is a coward he should've never started a war if he didn't plan to stay and fight it out he reminds me of George Bush -_-. I think they both should've died or started life over. 13)Lorenzo should the readers that there's a better life besides selling drugs and choosing to work a real job is not bad he made positive clean money and refused to mix in with bad people. 14)I think Zeek kept the drugs in the safe because they where dangerous and he didnt want to give it away unless need it be. 15)If there's a sequel I definitely think Zeek's cousin will be out for blood.
1). I do not think Chelsea had a valid reason to hate Zeek and treat him the way she did - she has to realize not every person is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. If she did not like being with him she should've just broke up with him instead of staying with him so he can endure her disrespect and emotional abuse. 2).I don't think Quanda (Chelsea's friend she considered to be a sister) was wrong for choosing to date Zeek after he and Chelsea broke up. Mind you Chelsea never loved Zeek anyway (until he got money he was just a pet to her for 14 years :( ) she shouldve just told Chelsea instead of hiding it. 3).I think Zeek didn't want Quanda and Shawana they way he wanted Dora - is because they where too easy and Dora seemed different from the rest even though she had her own secretive motive for wanting to date Zeek. 4)I think Dora didnt ask Zeek for the money because she was in too deep with her sister's gang to try and turn back. I would like to believe if she had met Zeek before her mother's heart weakened she would've asked him for the money instead of killing him :( 5)I skipped this question it's pointless to me.... 6)Nope ! because I think Rodney wouldve killed Zeek first if he had the opportunity mind you we live in a dog eat dog world Zeek had to be the vulture or be the prey and he chose to be the vulture. 7)My favorite character would have to be Lorenzo because out of all the characters in the book he chose to go a different route down life by working hard and having faith his hard work would eventually pay off :) he seemed to be the only person that had his head on straight and knew there was more to life than being a damn dope boy. 8)I really disliked Chelsea and her crew Chelsea was superficial and stepped on anybody's back to get what she wanted. I dont even think she cared about herself being she slept with the highest bidder. 9)My favorite part in the story would have to be Shawna leaving rehab and helping Zeek improve his sex game. 10)that's hard to say I think Quanda and Shawana loved him the most mainly Quanda because when he did cheat on her she was devastated ! and also after they became serious she stopped sleeping with other men to better their relationship. 12)I think Poundcake is a coward he should've never started a war if he didn't plan to stay and fight it out he reminds me of George Bush -_-. I think they both should've died or started life over. 13)Lorenzo should the readers that there's a better life besides selling drugs and choosing to work a real job is not bad he made positive clean money and refused to mix in with bad people. 14)I think Zeek kept the drugs in the safe because they where dangerous and he didnt want to give it away unless need it be. 15)If there's a sequel I definitely think Zeek's cousin will be out for blood.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2013
S.K. Collins Wide Open is a high quality urban fiction novel. Zeek and Chelsea are high school sweethearts. Zeek is in love with Chelsea and Chelsea loves Zeek but is in love with “the life.” Zeek has been unable to keep a job and the book opens with him getting fired from Staples. Although he lacks ambition, Zeek isn’t a bad guy. His girlfriend Chelsea likes going to the movies and hanging out with Zeek, but he isn’t a hustler, so she needs other guys in her life to keep things interesting. The consequence of her betrayal reaches far and wide in this action packed street tale.
Collins should be commended for his strong writing skills. Unlike many urban fiction books that suffer from a lack of editing and creative writing talent, Collins draws the reader into the story. The dialect is realistic for the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Virginia), and the cautionary tale is believable.
In keeping with the genre, Collins offers a few additional characters to provide twists and turns in the story. The ending is unexpected and a note in the advance copy lets readers know that there is a sequel to follow.
This book reminds me of Donald Goines’ writing style. Collins explains some street slang without being condescending to his reader. On the other hand, the explanations are strategically placed, so the story can flow uninterrupted. It feels like Collins has lived the street life he is writing about, much like how Donald Goines had lived the life he later wrote about.
The story is told in third person, but occasionally Collins would show up as a narrating voice. If I had a criticism for this book, it would be the fact that there were moments when Collins, as the author, told the story when he was doing such a great job of letting his characters tell the story. While it wasn’t a deal breaker, it almost felt like Collins wasn’t confident enough in his ability as a writer to trust that his characters were believable and that they could represent everything that he was trying to say.
This book is definitely for adults--there are graphic sex scenes and violent scenes that would be inappropriate for a younger audience.
Collins should be commended for his strong writing skills. Unlike many urban fiction books that suffer from a lack of editing and creative writing talent, Collins draws the reader into the story. The dialect is realistic for the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Virginia), and the cautionary tale is believable.
In keeping with the genre, Collins offers a few additional characters to provide twists and turns in the story. The ending is unexpected and a note in the advance copy lets readers know that there is a sequel to follow.
This book reminds me of Donald Goines’ writing style. Collins explains some street slang without being condescending to his reader. On the other hand, the explanations are strategically placed, so the story can flow uninterrupted. It feels like Collins has lived the street life he is writing about, much like how Donald Goines had lived the life he later wrote about.
The story is told in third person, but occasionally Collins would show up as a narrating voice. If I had a criticism for this book, it would be the fact that there were moments when Collins, as the author, told the story when he was doing such a great job of letting his characters tell the story. While it wasn’t a deal breaker, it almost felt like Collins wasn’t confident enough in his ability as a writer to trust that his characters were believable and that they could represent everything that he was trying to say.
This book is definitely for adults--there are graphic sex scenes and violent scenes that would be inappropriate for a younger audience.
September 7, 2014
Hood Rat Tendencies
Chelsea loves being the center of attention. She will do whatever she can to get money. Her boyfriend, Zeek, is a good guy who loves her despite her flaws and the warnings he received from friends. Upon confirmation of her deceitful ways, Zeek becomes someone he's not but the man Chelsea had always wanted. He moves on and up. What will Chelsea do?
This was my first read by S.K. Collins. It is a page turner with drama and plenty of twists. You will definitely have your share of love, betrayal, and revenge. I love how the characters play off of each other. This is a well-written story. If you love urban fiction, this is the book for you.
The ending leaves you wanting for more.
Reviewed by: Jas
Chelsea loves being the center of attention. She will do whatever she can to get money. Her boyfriend, Zeek, is a good guy who loves her despite her flaws and the warnings he received from friends. Upon confirmation of her deceitful ways, Zeek becomes someone he's not but the man Chelsea had always wanted. He moves on and up. What will Chelsea do?
This was my first read by S.K. Collins. It is a page turner with drama and plenty of twists. You will definitely have your share of love, betrayal, and revenge. I love how the characters play off of each other. This is a well-written story. If you love urban fiction, this is the book for you.
The ending leaves you wanting for more.
Reviewed by: Jas
September 1, 2015
very good cant wait for the sequel i enjoyed the story lines of all the characters but i cant stand that dora chick who killed zeek. ugh! i already knew what time it was with her. but i did enjoy this book entirely. he is one of my favorites. this was very intriguing.
March 17, 2014
I was disappointed from chapter 14 to the end
May 27, 2014
This was another great book that was hard to put down. It is very well written so it's easy to keep up with all the characters and what's going on.
February 28, 2014
This is one good book. I recommend reading this.
March 28, 2014
can't wait for part 2 dang zeek
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews